Additionally, road warrior Danielle “The Honey Badger” West (4-3-1) of London, UK will replace Elaina Maxwell, who has withdrawn from the event due to a concussion, in the leadoff main card featherweight (145 pounds) matchup against hard-hitting Julia “The Jewel” Budd (3-2) of Port Moody, CA

Invicta Fighting Championships

“We are thrilled to once again be able to showcase an entire night of world-class women’s professional MMA action live to a global audience,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp. “We hope that Elaina has a speedy recovery and will be able to return to competition soon and, at the same time, commend Danielle for taking this fight on just a week’s notice, especially given the fact that she has a long journey from overseas.”

The 35-year-old West’s road to the Invicta FC cage hasn’t been an easy one. A native of Boston, Mass. and former resident of Toronto, CA where she endured a period of homelessness and took shelter in various parking garages and cardboard boxes, she found a new life in London in 2000 and a new means of getting fit in judo and capoeira.

Since then, West, a full-time marketing strategist and analyst, has simultaneously labored to establish herself as a professional athlete, venturing to The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Japan to compete, while also winning a gold medal in each of the last five grappling tournaments she entered.

In her Invicta FC debut on July 28, the 29-year-old Budd put forth a powerful performance, taking Elina Nilsson to the ground in the first round of their matchup and finishing Nilsson at the 3:49 mark of the round with a series of punches and elbow strikes from mount position.

Budd, a protégé of former UFC and Shooto competitor Lance Gibson, has also made a mark in the sport of Muay Thai kickboxing, winning a national championship and earning a victory over superstar Gina Carano.

Invicta Fighting Championships Jessica Penne

The live stream of the Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama event on InvictaFC.com will begin at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST with the event’s six-bout preliminary card and continue with the eight-bout main card. Doors at Memorial Hall will open at 5 p.m. CST.

In the Invicta FC 3 main event, superstar Jessica Penne (9-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. will face off with undefeated phenom Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (8-0) of Kyoto, Japan at atomweight (105 pounds) in what will also be the first-ever Invicta FC women’s world title bout.

Prolific strikers Kaitlin Young (7-6-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. and Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (3-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will face off in a highly-anticipated bantamweight rematch to their April 28 slugfest at the inaugural Invicta FC event that ended in a majority draw.

Invicta FC will welcome one of the original pioneers of women’s MMA, submission expert Tara LaRosa (21-2) of Woodstown, N.J., who will lock horns at flyweight with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vanessa Porto (14-5) of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (9-3) of Albuquerque, N.M. will also make her first start under the Invicta FC banner against Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-5) of Lakewood, Colo. in an atomweight scrap.

The six-bout preliminary card will be topped by a strawweight (115 pounds) matchup between Carla Esparza (7-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Lynn Alvarez (5-2) of Las Vegas, Nev.

Two undefeated prospects, Ashley Cummins (3-0) of St. Louis, MO. and Joanne Calderwood (3-0) of Glasgow, Scottland will collide at flyweight.